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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, September 25, 2008

SHOW BIZ
Isle musicians will be fashionably 'Late'

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Columnist

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser
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Nake'u Awai's annual pre-holiday musical fashion show, themed "I'm Late! I'm Late!! For a Very Important Date," will be staged noontime Nov. 29 at the Ko'olau Golf Club Ballroom in Kane'ohe.

It's a gala with a marketplace offering crafts, plants and edibles, from 9:30 a.m.; lunch at 11:15 a.m.; and the fashion to-do at 12:15 p.m. The show will tap music from the Disney songbag, performed by Peter Espiritu, Puanani Higgins, Randy Hongo, Starr Kalahiki, Aaron Mahi, Cathy Foy Mahi, Joe Recca, Debbie Nakanelua and Aaron Sala. Most of these troupers have longtime ties with Awai — so it's kinda like an 'ohana kanikapila.

TICKETS: $45, with tables of eight arrangements. Call Nake'u Awai at 841-1221 for a reservation form or send a check with your reservation to Awai at 1613 Houghtailing St., No. 5, Honolulu, HI 96817. ...

RANDOM NOTES: You may add the Rev. before George Kahumoku Jr.'s name, thank you. The Hawaiian Grammy Award-winning slack-key guitarist, a pal of entertainers-producer Daniel Ho, earned his reverend license online, and performed the nuptials for Ho when he wed Lydia Miyashiro in Los Angeles recently. Herb Ohta Jr. was the groomsman. The party, as mentioned here earlier, was at the Japan American Cultural Center, but the bridal party had some apprehension: It was the first event at the renovated facility, and everyone was waiting for the water to be turned on -and it was, at 2 p.m., enabling the celebration to continue. ...

SPEAKING OF GRAMMYS: As part of its annual convention, The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement will honor previous Hawaiian Grammy winners and nominees from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Hawai'i Convention Center. Cyril Pahinui and others are being confirmed; there will be music, pupu, fellowship. Tickets: $20. ...

UPDATES: Donna Butterworth, a child star from the Islands best remembered as a Waikiki showroom trouper known then as Little Eleu and then a kiddie sidekick in Elvis Presley's "Paradise Hawaiian Style" flick, has been recuperating at good friend Geoffrey Hansen's home in Las Vegas after a traffic accident. She has undergone therapy and has had stitches removed from her face as recovery continues. She has recorded a CD and is trying to jump-start her entertainment career, with the kokua of Hansen, a magician. Perhaps he can make all that bad luck disappear. It's been quite a transition, from the sunny tropical clime of Hawai'i to the heat and desert of Nevada. Little known fact: Butterworth grew up in Kailua, the neighbor of footballer Russ Francis and his family, and used to swim in their pool. ...

REMINDER: Jasmine Trias rejoins the Society of Seven Las Vegas starting tomorrow night at the Outrigger Waikiki's Main Showroom, performing through Oct. 25, resuming some of the razzle with that dazzle already in place. It's been a highly popular combination, revving up local patronage. The SOS then take a breather starting Oct. 26, returning Nov. 8. ...

PERSONALITIES: Andy Baldwin, former "The Bachelor" winner, recently competed in the Nautica Malibu Triathlon in Malibu, defending his gold medal title. Among the participants: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Lopez and William H. Macy. Baldwin, the Navy doctor who moved to Washington, D.C., after a stint in the Islands, will return to Hawai'i Oct. 6-12 for a series of advocacy talks at Chaminade University, the University of Hawai'i's John Burns School of Medicine and a couple of high schools. ...

Talent agent Kika Matsumoto has been traveling hither and yon on a cruise - and managed to see two plays in London: "Billy Elliot — The Musical" and "Marguerite." ...

ITEMIZATIONS: Kevin Iwamoto, who was Kevin I in his entertainer era, recently earned his master's accreditation from Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, which makes him a GLP (global leadership professional). He's a corporate exec with Hewlett-Packard's global corporate card, hotels and meetings divisions, and also was tapped Best Practitioner by Business Travel News (in the meetings category), meaning he holds the record for most designations among biz practitioners. ...

Local residents Glenn Okazaki and Anne Ho placed second in the USA Dance National Championships in 2007, representing America in the World Championships in Belgium last year. It's a little-known factoid that they placed 17th out of 224 couples, which, he said, "is the equivalent of the Olympics in ballroom dance." Okazaki and Ho are instructors at USA Dance, Honolulu chapter, if you want to learn how to glide across the floor and prep for "Dancing With the Stars" and "So You Think You Can Dance." ...

And that's Show Biz. ...

Show Biz is published Tuesdays and Thursdays. Reach Wayne Harada at 525-8067, wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com or fax 525-8055.